White pan bread and whole wheat lower in August

WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread and whole wheat bread both decreased in August, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The national average retail price of white pan bread was 140.7c, down 2c per lb from July and down 6.7c from August 2011. The decrease followed an increase of 2.4c per lb in July. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in August rose in three regions — up 2.3c in the West, up 0.9c in the South and up 0.5c in the Midwest — but fell sharply in one region — down 13.1c in the Northeast. The average price has now fallen 18.3c per lb over the past two months in the Northeast, to 138c from 156.3c.

At 190.5c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 6.9c per lb from July and down 6.9c per lb from August 2011.

The national average price of family flour in August was 53.1c per lb, up 1.5c from July but down 0.6c from August 2011.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in August was 136.1c per lb, down 0.8c from July but up 8.2c from August 2011. Chocolate chip cookies were 337.4c per lb, down 26.6c from July but up 22.4c from August 2011. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 68.3c per lb, up 0.2c from July but down 3.2c from August 2011.